I just got a new sewing machine and purchased a walking foot with it because people seem to rave about them on here. But I realized I have no idea when I should use it. So when do you use a walking foot?

You could actually use it for everything, but it will be slower going. If your fabric is stretchy or slippery, a walking foot is a good choice to keep the top and bottom layers even. I like to use it to sew around the tops of bags because a regular foot will produce a bit of stretch on the top layer and the last inch of it will always have a stupid wrinkle in it.

Knowing when you should use a walking foot means knowing what exactly a walking foot does- I'm sure you are aware of the feed dogs that are on your sewing machine (the metal plates that move back and forth under your fabric that move it through the machine). The problem with feed dogs is that they are only on the bottom- If you have ever tried to see something super thick that has multiple layers, you've likely seen what happens when the bottom layer gets moved by the feed dogs and the top layer lags behind. A walking foot adds an additional set of feed dogs to the top side of your machine, so that all layers are moved through the machine at the same time.

Use your walking foot anytime you are quilting, sewing many layers or sewing very thick fabric, and as mentioned previously anytime you are sewing slippery fabrics including laminated cotton and/or oil cloth.

The only thing I have to add is that I'm a recent user of a walking foot, and I LOVE mine. I use it a lot, even for regular sewing, and my seams never looked so flat. I particularly like it when I'm joining two pieces of fabric that are not on the same weave direction, like a bias piece sewn to a straight piece.

Hi ladies,First post here! This forum came up when I searched for walking foot. I've been sewing for many (too many!) years but have never used a walking foot until now. The other night I pulled my bubble wrapped walking foot that I've had for years out of a box and wanted to give it a try. I'm currently sewing straight stitches down a quilt I'm making for my daughter so I wanted to make sure all layers fed evenly. Unfortunately, I'm getting skipped stitches with the walking foot. Out of frustration, I removed the walking foot and just used a regular foot and it turned out fine but I'd really like to get the hang of my walking foot. Is this a typical problem? Any advice on why I'd be getting skipped stitches?